The public service staff of Special Collections and Archives work closely with researchers daily. We regularly share stories here about research in Special Collections and Archives that yielded successful outcomes. By doing so, we hope to further expose the wide variety of research that our collections support and to encourage others to ask us for assistance. You can reach us at spcoll@uci.edu or 949-824-3947.

Our story today is about Valerie Samuel Henderson, Artist in Residence, and her experiences in Special Collections and Archives. Thank you Valerie!

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I had the opportunity to complete a year long independent study as part of a the new Artists in Residence Program in the Claire Trevor School of the Arts at UC Irvine. My mentor for the program, the dean of the school of the arts, had encouraged me to make an edition of artist books to incorporate a handwritten poem I had written, which was the theme and foundation for the body of work I produced for a one person show in the University Art Gallery. The dean had said to me when he saw the poem, that if I decided to make an edition of artist books, that he would like to have a copy. I felt a deep encouragement and wanted to challenge the project in part to be able to make a gift of one of the books as a gesture of appreciation.

I was researching artist books and thinking about the format I wanted to use. My program mentor encouraged me to focus on the handmade mark made by the artist’s hand. I had been to the Langston Library and researched books and materials in the general collection but kept bumping into the idea of the artist book as a handmade object in a more sculptural format. I wasn’t happy with the possibilities I was seeing and contemplating. Part of the issue had to do with how I wanted the reader/viewer to interact with my poem. The poem had originally been hand written on a succession of pages in my spiral bound artist sketchbook and the physical act of turning the pages was bound up with the experience of the poem. I produced a number of drawings and paintings as well as a video for my show in the gallery, but the book kept eluding me. The work for the show was installed and we had a reception but as for my edition of artist books, I felt stuck.

Finally, I decided on a trip to visit the Special Collections at Langston to see what they had in the way of artist books, in the hope that I would find some inspiration to break my deadlock. And I did! The librarian asked about what I was interested in and listened to my descriptions of my project. Books from the Special Collection began to be presented for me to look at and also to handle and turn the pages. When the big box was opened up with the oringal lithographs by the French artist Andre Masson, based on the poem by Malarme and his instructions for his poem, I began to get really excited and asked detailed questions about how it was printed and how it came about. One of the senior librarians with an extensive knowledge of the book came out to share with me and answer questions. By the following day I had a plan for my artist book which I was very happy with based on my experience with the wonderful book in the library’s special collection and the support from the library staff. I was then able to create a layout in Photoshop and take it to Kinko’s, where I made a prototype which I gave as a gift to my program mentor who had challenged me and encouraged me as an artist. I am making an edition of 50 books as part of a body of work entitled, “Toward a Poetics of the Land”.

The public service staff of Special Collections and Archives work closely with researchers daily. We regularly share stories here about research in Special Collections and Archives that yielded successful outcomes. By doing so, we hope to further expose the wide variety of research that our collections support and to encourage others to ask us for assistance. You can reach us at spcoll@uci.edu or 949-824-3947.

SUCCESS STORY 7

WHO: My name is Ian Baldwin, and I am a PhD candidate at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas (UNLV). Currently, I am researching my dissertation which explores forms of housing inequities for LGBT people in greater Los Angeles from the late 1960s through the mid-1990s.

THE CHALLENGE: Researching LGBT housing discrimination can often be a challenging task. All too often, records of housing fights, achievements, and setbacks have been lost or fragmented. Moreover, queer historiography has not focused on this crucial aspect of gay life in any detail, making this project interesting in its uniqueness but also difficult in terms of guidance. Within many archives, LGBT collections have not been tagged or described to reflect the housing struggles that can often be seen in the records.

ASSISTANCE PROVIDED: On the second day of my research visit, Steve MacLeod of Special Collections approached me and asked if I had looked at the Joan Ariel housing folders in the collection Joan Ariel Files on Women’s Studies at the University of California, Irvine AS.105. I had neglected to see these folders on the Online Archive of California, so I was intrigued by his suggestion. After two boxes had been pulled, I began to go through folder after folder of materials detailing a dramatic and incredibly important housing fight at Verano Place at UCI from the mid-1980s through the 1990s. For me and my project, it was like striking gold. By the end of the day the resources of UCI Special Collections, which I had believed would be secondary to my project, became one of my primary archives. In addition to steering me towards these records, the staff at Special Collections also offered to put me in touch with some of the activists who fought for LGBT housing rights at UCI. Three oral histories have now been planned from these contacts, which will not only make this project stronger, but will also allow future researchers a chance to learn more about the groundbreaking LGBT activism that occurred at UCI as I am happy and eager to turn these interviews over to UCI Special Collections.

POSITIVE RESOLUTION: The outcome from my research trips to UCI Special Collections, which remain ongoing, could not have been better. My dissertation project has been transformed by my archival finds, but clearly for the better. My research has been geographically and philosophically broadened. I am now more convinced that my project has merit, that it is important, and that it has much to add to the growing shelves of queer history.

MORAL: The LGBT collections housed at UCI are very resourceful. As a scholar working on queer Southern California, it surprises me how untapped many of these resources are. While much attention is placed on the ONE Archives in Los Angeles, UCI houses certain collections, especially those that detail gay activism in a university setting, that are priceless and unique. As gay scholarship moves forward, I predict that many more researchers will focus on the LGBT collections at UCI. I can say that, in regards to my own research and dissertation, the UCI collections have provided me with some of my strongest and most compelling finds. Both the staff and collections at UCI Special Collections will hold a very special place in the heart of my project.

This Saturday, October 27, Special Collections and Archives was fortunate enough to participate in L.A. as Subject’s seventh annual Archives Bazaar on the USC campus. It was an all-day event with about 80 archives represented from the greater Los Angeles area, as well as some institutions from here in Orange County.

We had a great time interacting with visitors from the community as well as the other exhibitors in the beautiful Doheny Memorial Library. It was great to see so many fascinating repositories gathered in one spot!

Our table included a large display of materials from our Southeast Asian Archive, with duplicates of photographs, records, and memorabilia. We distributed brochures

UCI Special Collections & Archives table at the Archives Bazaar

highlighting our local historical collections at UCI, and we answered numerous questions about our materials. The big hit, though, was our button machine! We made buttons on the spot with photos representing some of our collecting interests, like performing arts and the history of the UCI campus. The Shakespeare buttons went quickly (made for the Shakespeare first folio in our collection), as did the buttons showing Planet of the Apes actors in front of Langson Library (Conquest of the Planet of the Apes was filmed at UCI in 1972). Never underestimate the power of some free buttons!

Thanks to everyone who came out on Saturday, and a big thank you to L.A. as Subject and USC Libraries for hosting and maintaining such an exciting (and free!) event year after year. We can’t wait for next year’s Bazaar!

The public service staff of Special Collections and Archives work closely with researchers daily. We regularly share stories here about research in Special Collections and Archives that yielded successful outcomes. By doing so, we hope to further expose the wide variety of research that our collections support and to encourage others to ask us for assistance. You can reach us at spcoll@uci.edu or 949-824-3947.

SUCCESS STORY 6

WHO: Erit Maor, Graduate Student in the Master’s program in Urban and Regional Planning, School of Social Ecology.

THE CHALLENGE: Erin Maor did her Master’s thesis on “place attachment” and differences in resident perceptions of place attachment between a traditional tract design city (Fountain Valley, CA) and a master-planned community (Irvine, CA). She came to the reading room to look at materials about the City of Irvine and, in particular, about Ray Watson, former chief planner for the Irvine Company and eventually the President and CEO of the Irvine Company. We were able to show her a wide range of relevant materials, including the “Raymond L. Watson papers (MS-R120).”

ASSISTANCE PROVIDED: Over a period of several months, Erit Maor did detailed research with our collections. We also involved her in a number of projects here. Yvonne Wilson was working as curator of a new exhibition for the second floor lobby “Irvine: The Vision, The Plan, the Promise.” We asked Erit if she would like to work on the exhibit case that was to focus on Watson’s contributions to the development of the City of Irvine. She accepted and did an outstanding job, in collaboration with Yvonne. We were also negotiating with Mr. Watson for additional materials to be added to the Raymond L. Watson papers (MS-R120). He wanted to come to UCI to see how his papers were being used. We invited Erit to come to the presentation that Dawn Schmitz and Steve MacLeod gave to Mr. and Mrs. Watson. Mr Watson agreed to give the remainder of his papers to UCI and he also gave money to establish the Raymond L. Watson Library Fund in support of the Libraries’ Regional History collections. We were also able to facilitate a meeting with Mr. Watson for Erit Maor, where she was able to interview him and ask questions directly relevant to her thesis.

POSITIVE RESOLUTION: Erit Maor completed her thesis and graduated in the Spring 2011. Her work in the library and the many additional opportunities we gave her to work on other related projects assisted her tremendously in the research she completed for her thesis.

MORAL: This story documents our efforts at knowing our collections, having a commitment to user-centered services, and thinking creatively about how students might best be able to assist, as well. In this case, a number of successful collaborations were achieved.

The public service staff of Special Collections and Archives work closely with researchers daily. As a new feature of this blog, we will be sharing stories about research in Special Collections and Archives that yielded successful outcomes. We hope to further expose the wide variety of research that our collections support and to encourage others to ask us for assistance. You can reach us at spcoll@uci.edu or 949-824-3947.

THE CHALLENGE: Mr. Douglass describes his research topic in this way: “With the dominant form of political violence on the planet becoming civil wars, particularly irregular civil wars, it is important to understand how government offers of amnesty and rewards to rebel defectors might promote conflict resolution.” He was interested in the United States/Republic of Vietnam defector program during the Vietnam War. In particular he was interested in the “Joseph M. Carrier collection on the Chieu Hoi Program and Vietnamese Conflict, 1958-1992” (MS-SEA001).

ASSISTANCE PROVIDED: When Mr. Douglass inquired about the collection, we sent him the location of the full finding aid, pointing out areas where there might be relevant materials for his research. We also sent him to our “Visitor Information” guide, which includes information about local airports, transportation, housing options, and local interest information. We pulled material of relevance to Mr. Douglass and had that material ready for him upon arrival. His research interests were broader than we anticipated, and he determined that he wanted to look at the full collection of 67 boxes. We arranged for him to spend additional hours in the Reading Room to

complete this task. His work with the collection revealed invaluable materials for his research. We offered to facilitate a meeting with Joseph Carrier, who lives in the area.

POSITIVE RESOLUTION: Rex Douglass told us that he had visited numerous archives in his research, and that our assistance had been unique in comparison to others he had received. When he completed his research here, he wrote to us to share the following:

“I am writing in regards to a recent trip to the UCI Special Collections and Archives. In the course of my research, I was expertly assisted by Stephen MacLeod, Andrew Jones, Michelle Light, and Christina Woo. They went above and beyond the call of duty. Selected examples include: helpful advice and research in communications prior to my visit, having materials pulled and ready at my arrival, a thorough introduction to the SEA collection, making extra research time available for my brief trip, and actually arranging for me to interview the creator of the collection I used. I greatly appreciated the assistance and having been made to feel at home at UCI. Mr. Carrier performed extensive research on the United States/Republic of Vietnam defector program during the Vietnam War. His files are a unique window into the background of that program, what led some of civilians and Viet Cong fighters to make the often dangerous decision to switch to the government side, and what it was like to be a social scientist working in wartime environment when the field was still in its infancy.”

MORAL: Public Services staff in Special Collections and Archives make a strong effort to understand the researcher’s needs at the beginning of the research process and throughout the research process. The work we did with Rex Douglas is a good example of how this philosophy can support positive results.